Jim Vance, legendary D.C. news anchor, dies at 75

Longtime NBC Washington news anchor Jim Vance has died at the age of 75.

“We are heartbroken to announce that Jim Vance died this morning,” Jackie Bradford, the station’s president and general manager, said in a statement Saturday.

“For more than 45 years, Jim Vance was not only the soul of NBC4 but of the entire Washington area. His smooth voice, brilliant mind and unforgettable laugh leaves each of us with a tremendous void,” she said.

The statement did not mention the cause of Vance’s death. He disclosed in May that he had been diagnosed with cancer and vowed to continue anchoring while seeking treatment.

“I have been getting that treatment, and I have been coming into work with my partners here whenever I can, and I shall continue to do that. In fact, I will insist on doing that,” he said during a broadcast this year. “I love what I do.”

Vance joined WRC-TV, the NBC affiliate, as a reporter in 1969 following a handful of news gigs in Philadelphia, according to his biography on the station’s website.

He switched to the anchor desk in 1972 and ultimately earned the role of the District’s longest-serving local news anchor, The Washington Post reported.

“Jim Vance was not just a newscaster but a voice and leader of this city - a legend who will be missed greatly,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted Saturday.

“Jim Vance brought warmth and dignity to every newscast. A DC news legend and a cherished member of our NBC family. We’ll miss you Jim,” tweeted NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt.

Eric Holder, former attorney general and D.C. resident, said Vance “defined what was best about journalism in DC & never lost the common touch.”

Vance was named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine in 1976, only four years into his lengthy tenure behind the WRC anchor desk. He was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2007 and has earned 17 local Emmy award, among other accolades, the biography said.